ESCALON, Calif. – Orestimba High football head coach Aaron Souza was not at a loss for words of his team’s performance in the Trans-Valley League finale against Escalon.
“We came out flat,” Souza said. “We didn’t come out with the energy level that I would have liked.”
His Warriors picked up the pace in second quarter against the Cougars. But Escalon had already established a lead that led to a 41-14 victory over the Warriors at Engel Field on Friday.
Despite the loss, Orestimba (3-4 in the TVL, 6-4 overall) will host a first-round CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Football Playoffs – Division VI. A separate story can be found online, or the print edition of the Westside Connect.
Escalon (4-2 in the TVL, 5-5) jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the first quarter of Friday’s game. Logan Huebner had a 42-yard run and threw a pass on the 2-point conversion, and threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Chase Cummings.
Huebner continued to be a one-man wrecking crew, but with some assistance, entering the second quarter for Escalon. He threw another scoring pass to Donovan Martinez of 16 yards. The extra-point kick was good for a 22-0 score.
Then Orestimba got on the scoreboard in the same quarter. Warrior quarterback Jacob Valenzuela completed a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dylan McCauley. Devon Bell booted the extra point for a 22-7 score.
Bell and the Warriors cut the Cougars’ lead to 22-14 in the quarter when he scooped up a fumble and returned it 25 yards for the score. He also kicked the football through the uprights.
That was as close Orestimba got to Escalon.
The host Cougars scored two more touchdowns on a run and in the air in the third quarter for a 35-14 score.
“They came out double tight, started running the football,” said Souza of the Cougars’ offense to start the second half. “We struggled stopping it.”
Escalon scored its final touchdown in the fourth quarter when Huebner, who threw another score in the third quarter, ended the night on a 5-yard run.
“We weren’t able to get things going offensively,” Souza said. “The game got away from us late in the third quarter.”
Valenzuela completed 8 of 27 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. McCauley had 5 receptions for 84 yards and a TD. Richie Rivas went 2-58 and running back Nicolas Cuevas 1-28. The Warriors finished with 189 total offensive yards.
On defense, from his linebacker’s spot, Cuevas had 20 total tackles; 10 solo and 10 assisted each. Colby Cabral, another linebacker, followed with eight total tackles and linebacker Allen Garcia had seven.
Escalon had 389 total offensive yards; 306 on the ground and 83 in the air.
Mike Bush is a multimedia journalist in the Sacramento area resident who was born and raised in the Stanislaus and Merced County areas. Follow him on X/Twitter @MikeBMultimedia.
